Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 26, 2016 17:00:39 GMT 12
Apparently five men from Fiji joined the Royal Air Force during WWI, and considerably more joined the Air Force during WWII. By September 1940 alone 22 men had joined up, two of whom had served in WWI.
One of the five in WWI (but not again in WWII) was Sir Samuel Howard Ellis (who also lived here in Cambridge).
I wonder, has anyone ever made a study of who these chaps were? Those in WWII were going through the Empire Air Training Scheme, so would they have come to New Zealand? Or gone straight to Canada? Or the UK?
Is there a list of the Fijian airmen? Were they all ex-pats who lived there like New Zealander Sir Howard Ellis? Or were there native Fijians and Indians too?
I wonder if the Fijians - if there were any - were as good in the Air Force as they were in the Army. Their soldiers were one of the elite units of WWII and remain so today. Possibly better than the Gurkhas.
One of the five in WWI (but not again in WWII) was Sir Samuel Howard Ellis (who also lived here in Cambridge).
I wonder, has anyone ever made a study of who these chaps were? Those in WWII were going through the Empire Air Training Scheme, so would they have come to New Zealand? Or gone straight to Canada? Or the UK?
Is there a list of the Fijian airmen? Were they all ex-pats who lived there like New Zealander Sir Howard Ellis? Or were there native Fijians and Indians too?
I wonder if the Fijians - if there were any - were as good in the Air Force as they were in the Army. Their soldiers were one of the elite units of WWII and remain so today. Possibly better than the Gurkhas.
